Ever find yourself with a ton of tabs and Word documents open, but then have to reboot your computer? Whether it’s an update or a new app that requires a reboot, rather than put it off, or bookmark a bunch of tabs you only need for the time-being, Cupcloud will actually temporarily save your tabs, documents and more, and restore them with a simple click of the button.

Getting Cupcloud Setup

At the moment, Cupcloud only supports a limited list of applications. You can save tabs from three browsers – Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari, as well as documents open in Apple iWork, Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint. You can also save all open windows in Windows Explorer and the Mac OS X Finder.

The first step to getting Cupcloud up and running on your computer, is signing up for a free account. Cupcloud is in public beta and signing up is as easy as entering your email, username and password.

You’ll then be prompted to download the free beta software. Cupcloud is available for Windows XP, 7 and 8, as well as for OS X 10.7 and later. After downloading and installing the little app, you’ll be prompted to log into your account.

Using Cupcloud

Once you’re logged in, Cupcloud couldn’t be easier to use. The options for the app are limited – all you really can choose is whether or not you want to start Cupcloud when your computer starts. It makes sense to start Cupcloud as you start your computer since it’s the kind of app that runs quietly in the background, waiting for you to use it when need be.

As you are working, if you decide that you need to save all the tabs you have open in your browser, your Microsoft documents, and your Explorer and Finder windows open, you just hit the Cup button.

Cups are automatically named, using nothing more than a sequence of numbers, but right clicking the Cup will allow you to rename it. There are a few other options that you’ll view in that menu when you right click your Cup, or saved tabs and documents. You can delete the Cup, move it to another folder, or “Uncup” it. When you hit Uncup, it will open up all the tabs and windows that are saved in that specific Cup.

If you want to get really organized with your ‘Cups’, you can also create multiple folders in the side-menu. This is particularly useful if you want to save tabs that are work-related, leisure-related, or even getting even more organized, project-related.

If you tend to need a certain number of tabs open on a regular basis, you can use Cupcloud to save all the tabs that you would normally have open for the task, and get them loaded in your browser with just one click.

Another really cool feature that Cupcloud affords its users is allowing you to take that content with you from one computer to another – whether on a Mac or Windows machine. All you have to do is download and install the free app on all of your machines, and you have instant access to all of your Cups. So if you’re working on something at work and need to pick up where you left off from home, just Cup your windows, then open them up on your other machine when you get home.

Best of all – Cupcloud is cross-platform so if you’re a a Windows user for example, you can still retrieve your saved session on your friend’s Mac.

While Cupcloud is in beta, the free version of the service allows you to create unlimited cups per month, but you can only access the 30 most recent cups. Premium gets you unlimited cups and unlimited access to those cups. Other features Premium users can look forward to include sharing, extended program support and secure cups. While in beta, all it takes to get premium is to invite two friends to join the service. For every friend who joins, you’ll get 2 free months of Cupcloud premium service, for a limit of up to 2 years. There is presently no paid subscription model.

Another interesting feature is sharing, which has yet to be released. By right-clicking the Cup of your choice, you can share it to other Cloudcup users. If you email a shared Cup to someone who doesn’t already have the app installed, they’ll be invited to sign up and download it. Once they’ve accepted the shared Cup, it will appear in both of your apps, and any changes to it will be reflected in both accounts.

To see Cupcloud in action, check out the video below:

Our Verdict

It’s incredibly easy to use Cupcloud. The app is simple to use and performs its primary function very well. Such an app helps address a small but annoying problem when you’re trying to pick up your work where you left off. It has us left wondering why someone didn’t think of this before.

Of course, it’s still in the beta stages of development so you’ll find there are some kinks to be worked out. Future releases which allow sharing to other users, together with a much-needed expansion of the types of files, folders and apps that Cupcloud can save to its sessions, will make Cupcloud truly indispensable.

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michel

July 20, 2013 at 12:53 pm

does everything have to be cloud based and require an account? Does anyone know a desktop app or utility that achieves this? I don't care about browsers, they already do this, but it would be nice to open multiple word docs and the appropriate OneNote page in one click.

Nancy is a writer and editor living in Washington DC. She was previously the Middle East editor at The Next Web and currently works at a DC-based think tank on communications and social media outreach.